Since 3DTVs were first mass marketed back in 2010, we’ve been waiting for the next major break-through in television. According to scientists at Manchester University, this could be paper-thin OLED TV displays that incorporate quantum dot technology.

What’s next for TV?

When they were first widely unveiled in early 2010, 3D TVs were hailed as the next evolution in televisions, after high-definition TV. Well, fast-forward to the present day and that hasn’t exactly happened. Though many people have purchased 3D televisions, consumer reception to the technology has been mixed and manufacturers are now marketing 3D as just another feature, rather than the future. Many instead speculate that the next evolution in TV could come from seamless interfaces, like with a Siri voice controlled TV, or Kinect motion controlled model, but there’s another innovation on the horizon too: flexible OLED TV displays.

Advantages of OLED displays

As late as last year, Sony demonstrated some of the possible advantages of OLED TVs, and in a video, showcased a screen that could display content even whilst rolled up. Other benefits of OLED television screens include lower power consumption, thanks to the lack of a backlight, much thinner displays, transparent screens, and improved image quality. According to researchers from Manchester University and the Nanoco Group, which promotes the quantum dot technology they’re working on, actual paper thin OLED displays are getting closer to consumer reality.

Quantum dot applications

Nanoco works to promote quantum dot technology, which can be incorporated into OLED displays. These tiny dots, which are over 100,000 times smaller than the width of the human hair, have many applications in everything from lightbulbs, to solar panels and, as we’ve discussed, television displays. According to Nanoco, the company is now cooperating with unnamed Asian manufacturers (it’s been speculated that this includes Sharp, Sony, LG, Samsung and others) to bring quantum dot displays to the market place in the next three years.

Wallpaper or curtain televisions

OLED displays are already thin, but, by using quantum dot methods, they can literally be made as thin as paper. Such a thickness allows people to roll up the QD display and even fit it into their pocket. Another application that Nanoco is looking at, is to create paper-thin wallpaper displays, then can easily be attached to any wall for a quick big screen viewing experience. They’re also looking into so-called quantum display curtains, that you can hang on your window and could , for instance, project a glorious sunrise from a tropical setting when you wake up.

Major TV advances on horizon

It will apparently be at least three years before these flexible paper-thin displays become a reality. Imagine a voice and motion controlled television, like a Kinect TV or rumoured Apple Siri TV, that you can also roll up and put in your pocket, then easily set up again wherever you go. That looks to be where TV is headed over the next few years.

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(No Ratings Yet)Since 3DTVs were first mass marketed back in 2010, we've been waiting for the next major break-through in television. According to scientists at Manchester University, this could be paper-thin OLED TV displays that incorporate quantum dot technology.">